Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

ABSTRACT

An immersion-type exposure apparatus includes a measurement area for measuring a substrate, an exposure area, which differs from the measurement area, for exposing the substrate via a projection optical system, plural stages configured to hold the substrate and to be movable between the exposure area and the measurement area, and a controller configured to control the driving of the plural stages, wherein in a case that one stage of the plural stage is positioned in the exposure area, and immersion liquid that is supplied onto the one stage is retained in exposure area and delivered to another stage, the controller is configured to determine a delivery position of the immersion liquid for the other stage based on at least a first processing position of the other stage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus and a devicemanufacturing method.

2. Description of the Related Art

An exposure apparatus is an apparatus that exposes a pattern of anoriginal (reticle or the like) onto a photosensitive substrate (e.g.,wafer where the surface thereof is coated with a resist layer) via aprojection optical system in a lithography process of a manufacturingstep for a semiconductor device or the like. There is also an immersionexposure apparatus that uses an immersion method as a technique toenhance the resolution of a pattern image that is projected onto asubstrate. The immersion exposure apparatus is configured to fill aninterval between the final lens of the projection optical system and thesubstrate with an immersion liquid and to project the pattern image ontothe substrate. On the other hand, to improve productivity per unit time,the immersion exposure apparatus may also be provided with plural stagesconfigured to retain a substrate. In the immersion exposure apparatushaving only a single substrate stage, an exposure operations is notpossible when replacing the substrate or when pre-measuring, andtherefore results in a so-called “down time”. On the other hand, animmersion exposure apparatus provided with plural substrate stages (forexample, two substrate stages) can expose a substrate on one substratestage while replacing a substrate on the other substrate stage. Thisconfiguration allows the immersion exposure apparatus to start exposureof the next substrate on the other substrate stage immediately aftercompletion of exposure of the substrate on the first substrate stage.That is to say, “down time” does not occur when the overall immersionexposure apparatus is considered, and productivity per unit time isenhanced by a configuration in which exposure of one of the substratesis constantly performed.

In this context, an immersion exposure apparatus having plural substratestages firstly completes exposure of the substrate on one substratestage, and then rapidly moves another substrate stage below theprojection optical system and starts exposure of the next substrate withthe result that immersion liquid is delivered between each substratestage. For example, a method has also been proposed in which supply ofimmersion liquid is stopped when exposure of one substrate is completed,and supply of the immersion liquid is restarted when another substratestage moves below the projection optical system. However, this method isnot practical due to the fact that time is required to stabilize thestate of the supplied immersion liquid after starting supply of theimmersion liquid. In this context, a method has been proposed in whichimmersion liquid that is supplied is delivered without modification fromthe substrate stage that retains the exposed substrate to the substratestage that retains the substrate that is the subject of the nextexposure operation. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.2008-124219 discloses an immersion exposure apparatus that predeterminesa delivery position of immersion liquid on each substrate stage. Thisimmersion exposure apparatus includes a mirror that is provided on aside of each substrate stage and is used to measure the position of eachsubstrate stage in real time during an exposure operation. The deliveryposition of immersion liquid in this case is taken to be the end of thesubstrate stage to thereby avoid hindrance to measurement using themirror. On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.2008-130745 discloses an immersion exposure apparatus that includes aplurality of delivery positions for immersion liquid on the substratestage in order to reduce the delivery time.

However, the immersion exposure apparatus disclosed in Japanese PatentApplication Laid-Open No. 2008-124219 requires that the path through thepredetermined delivery position is always followed during delivery ofimmersion liquid, and therefore may result in wasted time during deliverdepending on the position of the substrate stage when delivery iscommenced. Furthermore, the immersion exposure apparatus disclosed inJapanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-130745 requires anincrease in the operational area of the substrate stage in order todeliver immersion liquid. As a result, the size or cost of the apparatusmay increase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides, for example, an immersion-type exposureapparatus which is advantageous in terms of efficient delivery ofimmersion liquid on its surface between a plurality of substrate stages.

The present invention discloses an exposure apparatus including ameasurement area for measuring a substrate, and an exposure area, whichdiffers from the measurement area, for exposing the substrate via aprojection optical system, and executing an exposure operation whilesupplying an immersion liquid between a final lens of the projectionoptical system and the substrate disposed in the exposure area, theexposure apparatus comprising plural stages configured to hold thesubstrate and to be movable between the exposure area and themeasurement area, and a controller configured to control the driving ofthe plural stages, wherein in a case that one stage of the plural stageis positioned in the exposure area, and immersion liquid that issupplied onto the one stage is retained in exposure area and deliveredto another stage, the controller is configured to determine a deliveryposition of the immersion liquid for the other stage based on at least afirst processing position of the other stage.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of an exposure apparatus according toa first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C illustrate a configuration when immersion liquid isdelivered between respective stages.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the delivery operationaccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D illustrate a time sequence of the delivery operationaccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B is a timing chart illustrating a wafer stageaccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6A is a perspective view illustrating a position measurementsensor, or the like provided in substitution for a laser interferometer.

FIG. 6B is a sectional view illustrating a position measurement sensor,or the like provided in substitution for a laser interferometer.

FIG. 7 illustrates a configuration in which a mirror is only provided onthe side on which immersion liquid is not delivered.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the delivery operationaccording to a second embodiment.

FIG. 9A to FIG. 9D illustrate a time sequence of the delivery operationaccording to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10A to FIG. 10C illustrate a time sequence of the deliveryoperation according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a timing chart illustrating a wafer stage according to thesecond embodiment.

FIG. 12A to FIG. 12D illustrate a time sequence of a conventionaldelivery operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments for executing the present invention will be describedbelow making reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment

Firstly, the exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment of thepresent invention will be described. FIG. 1 illustrates a schematicconfiguration of an exposure apparatus 100 according to the presentembodiment. The exposure apparatus 100 is exemplified by a projectionexposure apparatus that exposes (transfers) a pattern formed on areticle 15 by a step-and-repeat system onto a wafer 14 (substrate) andthat is used in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device.Furthermore, the exposure apparatus 100 is configured as an immersionexposure apparatus that uses an immersion method as a technique toenhance the resolution of a pattern image projected onto the wafer 14.In FIG. 1, a description will be given where the Z axis is alignedparallel to the optical axis of a projection optical system 3 (thevertical direction in the present embodiment), the X axis aligned in thescanning direction of the wafer 14 during exposure in the planeperpendicular to the Z axis, and the Y axis is aligned in thenon-scanning direction orthogonal to the X axis. The exposure apparatus100 includes an illumination system 1, a reticle stage 2, a projectionoptical system 3, a wafer stage 5, an immersion liquid supply mechanism4, an alignment detection system 6, a focus detection system 7, and acontroller 20. Of these components, the illumination system 1, a reticlestage 2, the projection optical system 3 and the immersion liquid supplymechanism 4 are installed in the exposure area in the exposure apparatus100. On the other hand, the alignment detection system 6 and the focusdetection system 7 are installed in the measurement area in the exposureapparatus 100. In this manner, in the exposure apparatus 100, theexposure area has an independent configuration from the measurementarea, and as described below, plural stages configured as the waferstage 5 are movable alternatively through the exposure area and themeasurement area.

The illumination system 1 adjusts the light illuminated from a lightsource (not illustrated), and illuminates the reticle 15. The reticle 15is an original manufactured from quartz glass for example, that forms apattern (for example, a circuit pattern) to be transferred onto thewafer 14. The reticle stage 2 holds the reticle 15 and is movable ineach of the X and Y axial directions. The projection optical system 3projects the pattern image on the reticle 15, that is illuminated withlight from the illumination system 1, with a predetermined magnification(for example, ½ to ⅕) onto the wafer 14. The wafer 14 is a substrate forexample of single crystal silicon having a surface coating of a resist(photosensitizer).

The wafer stage 5 is a so-called twin-stage type stage device that hastwo sets of a coarse-motion stage and a fine-motion stage that caninterchange their mutual positions and are movable mutually on a stagesupport member 21. Each of these two sets is respectively denoted as “afirst stage 5 a” and the other is “a second stage 5 b”. Both the firststage 5 a and the second stage 5 b hold the wafer 14 and are movable(can change orientation) in each of the XYZ axial directions. In thisconfiguration, the exposure apparatus 100, for example, can performsubstitution of the second wafer 14 b or alignment measurement(pre-measurement) or the like on the second stage 5 b that is positionedin the measurement area during exposure of the first wafer 14 a on thefirst stage 5 a that is positioned in the exposure area. That is to say,the exposure apparatus 100 finds utility in enhancing the productivityper unit time since production of a down time in which exposure to anywafer 14 is not executed is avoided, and a configuration is enabled inwhich exposure is constantly performed in relation to one of the wafers14. Each stage 5 a, 5 b is provided with a mirror 22 on respectivesides, and the position in the XY plane of each stage 5 a, 5 b (stageposition) can be determined by measuring the distance between themirrors 22 by use of a laser interferometer 23. In the presentembodiment, although the wafer stage 5 will be described with referenceto an example of a twin-stage configuration, a configuration havingthree or more sets of stages is also possible.

The immersion liquid supply mechanism 4 is configured to supply, andthereafter recover, immersion liquid 13, to fill with the immersionliquid 13 the fixed space region between the final lens of theprojection optical system 3 and the wafer 14 on the wafer stage 5 (inFIG. 1, the second stage 5 b). The immersion liquid supply mechanism 4includes a supply nozzle 11 that supplies the immersion liquid 13 andthe recovery nozzle 12 that recovers the immersion liquid 13 that hasbeen supplied. The exposure apparatus 100 finds utility in transfer of apattern with enhanced detail by filling the region with an immersionliquid 13 that has a higher refractive index than air, and projectingthe pattern image onto the wafer 14.

The alignment detection system 6 includes a projection system configuredto project the detection light onto a reference mark on the wafer 14 orthe wafer stage 5, and a light receiving system configured to receivethe reflected light from the reference mark. The alignment detectionsystem 6 detects the alignment position of the wafer 14 and thealignment position between the wafer 14 and the reticle 15. Thealignment detection system 6 may be configured as an off-axis alignmentdetection system that enables optical detection of the reference markwithout using the projection optical system 3. The focus detectionsystem 7 is a focal plane detection device, and includes a projectionsystem 7 a that is configured to project detection light towards thesurface of the wafer 14, and a light receiving system 7 b configured toreceive the reflected light, and is configured to detect the position(surface position) in the Z axis direction of the wafer 14. Theprojection system 7 a and the light receiving system 7 b are disposedobliquely upward of the reference marks for the alignment detectionsystem 6 respectively.

The controller 20 controls the operation, the adjustment and the like ofthe respective components of the exposure apparatus 100. In particular,in the present embodiment, the controller 20 controls the movementoperation of the wafer stage 5 (first stage 5 a and second stage 5 b)when delivering the immersion liquid 13 as described in detail below.The controller 20 is configured for example by a computer or the like,and is connected through a line to the respective components of theexposure apparatus 100 to thereby execute control of each component inaccordance with a program or the like. In addition, the controller 20may be configured integrally (in a common housing) with the other unitsof the exposure apparatus 100, or may be configured as a separate unit(in a separate housing) to the other units of the exposure apparatus100.

Next, the delivery operation of immersion liquid 13 between the firststage 5 a and the second stage 5 b in the present embodiment will bedescribed. As used herein, “delivery operation” denotes the deliveryoperation of immersion liquid 13 between each stage 5 a, 5 b in order tostart exposure of a next wafer 14 after exposure of a wafer 14 on onestage has been completed and then another stage is moved below theprojection optical system 3. Firstly, the basic delivery operation willbe described by referring FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C. FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C areschematic sectional views illustrating a time sequence when theimmersion liquid 13 is delivered from the upper surface of the firststage 5 a to the upper surface of the second stage 5 b as an example.FIG. 2A illustrates a configuration in which the exposure of the firstwafer 14 a on the first stage 5 a that is positioned in a lower portion(exposure position) of the projection optical system 3 is completed, andthe second stage 5 b that retains the second wafer 14 b that is thesubject of the subsequent exposure operation has been displaced intoproximity. The interval d when the each stage 5 a, 5 b have beendisplaced into a configuration of maximum proximity is preferably assmall as possible without mutual contact. Next, FIG. 2B illustrates aconfiguration during delivery of the immersion liquid 13. Entry of theimmersion liquid 13 into the area of the interval d is inhibited by aconfiguration in which the interval d of each stage 5 a, 5 b is as smallas possible and in which water repellency of portions that makes contactwith the immersion liquid 13 on each stage 5 a, 5 b is maintained to ahigh level. FIG. 2C illustrates a configuration in which the delivery ofthe immersion liquid 13 has been completed. In this configuration, thefirst stage 5 a commences a recovery operation for the first wafer 14 athat has completed the exposure operation whereas the second stage 5 bstarts an exposure operation in relation to the second wafer 14 b.

Next, during the delivery operation of the immersion liquid 13 in thepresent embodiment, the operation of the respective stages 5 a, 5 b inthe XY plane will be described. Firstly, a conventional deliveryoperation will be described as a comparative example in order to clarifythe characteristic feature of the delivery operation according to thepresent embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the basicsequence of the delivery operation corresponding to both the presentembodiment and a conventional configuration. FIG. 12A to FIG. 12D areschematic plan views illustrating a time sequence during a conventionaldelivery operation. In particular, the drawings is provided as anexemplary configuration from completing exposure of the first wafer 14 aon the first stage 5 a, to positioning the measurement position on thesecond stage 5 b, or a first pattern forming area, at the exposureposition. The respective components illustrated in FIG. 12A to FIG. 12Dare denoted for simplicity of comparison using the same referencenumerals as that of the corresponding components of the presentembodiment. Furthermore, the arrow illustrated in the drawings denotesthe track of movement of each of the stages 5 a, 5 b.

Firstly, the controller 20 displaces the first stage 5 a to the deliveryposition of the immersion liquid 13 after completion of exposure to thefirst wafer 14 a on the first stage 5 a (step S101). FIG. 12Aillustrates the configuration of each of the stages 5 a, 5 b whenexposure is completed on the first stage 5 a. On the other hand, FIG.12B illustrates a configuration in which the first stage 5 a isdisplaced from the configuration illustrated in FIG. 12A to the deliveryposition. The conventional wafer stage 5 for example defines thedelivery position as a position avoiding the position measurement mirroron the side of the stage, and therefore the first stage 5 is displacedto the delivery position irrespective of the position of the finalpattern forming area on the first wafer 14 a. Next, the controller 20displaces the second stage 5 b so that the delivery position (in thiscase, coinciding with the receiving position) of the second stage 5 bcoincides with the delivery position of the first stage 5 a (step S102).Next, the controller 20 matches the delivery positions of each stage 5a, 5 b, and then displaces the stages 5 a, 5 b in parallel to therebydisplace the immersion liquid 13 to the delivery position of the secondstage 5 b (step S103). FIG. 12C illustrates a configuration in whichafter the second stage 5 b is displaced from the configurationillustrated in FIG. 12B to the delivery position, the immersion liquid13 is displaced onto the second stage 5 b. Then the controller 20 causesthe first stage 5 a to retract (movement to the next specifiedposition), and then causes the second stage 5 b to be movable so thatthe first pattern forming area on the second stage 14 b coincides withthe exposure position (step S104). FIG. 12D illustrates a configurationin which the second stage 5 b is displaced and positioned at themeasurement position. In this manner, the operation of the wafer stage 5during delivery in a conventional configuration requires time inparticular for the movement in steps S102 and S104 as a result of theexposure sequence to a pattern forming area that is set on the wafer 14due to the feature that the delivery position is predetermined.

On the other hand, the controller 20 in the present embodiment displaceseach stage 5 a, 5 b as described below in accordance with the sequenceillustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D are schematic plan viewsillustrating a time sequence of the delivery operation in the presentembodiment. Each drawing in FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D corresponds to the eachconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 12A to FIG. 12D that illustrates theconventional delivery operation. The point of difference in the presentembodiment from the conventional delivery operation resides in thefeature that the delivery position for the immersion liquid for eachstage 5 a, 5 b is not predetermined. For example, in the operation instep S101 of the present embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, thecontroller 20 determines the delivery position of the immersion liquid13 for the first stage 5 a based on the exposure completion position,that is to say, the position at which the exposure is completed in thefinal pattern forming area on the first wafer 14 a. The exposurecompletion position in this configuration is the position denoted as theimmersion liquid 13 illustrated in FIG. 4A. The controller 20 is enabledto recognize the exposure completion position prior to an exposureoperation based on a formulaic recipe or the like that includes datasuch as the layout that includes the pattern forming area set on thefirst wafer 14 a, and the sequence of exposure operations in relation toa layout. Next, the controller 20 displaces the first stage 5 a linearlyin a predetermined direction without modification from the exposurecompletion position illustrated in FIG. 4A to the position at which theimmersion liquid 13 is positioned at the stage end illustrated in FIG.4B. The position at which the immersion liquid 13 is positioned asillustrated in FIG. 4B is the delivery position for the immersion liquid13 in the present embodiment. The phrase “displace linearly” means adisplacement in a direction enable to drive only using a driving unitfor one direction (in this context, the X axis direction) under thecontrol and configuration of a driving device configured to drive eachstage 5 a, 5 b. On the other hand, the conventional displacement to thedelivery position illustrated in FIG. 12B is “inclined displacement”,that is to say, it drives using at least two driving unit for the X axisdirection and the Y axis direction to thereby enable inclineddisplacement when seen on the XY plane as illustrated in FIG. 12D. Thedelivery position of the immersion liquid 13 is determined from thewhole area of the side of the first stage 5 a.

In addition, in the operation of the present embodiment in and followingthe step S102 in FIG. 3, the controller 20 for example determines thedelivery position (receiving position) for the immersion liquid 13 onthe second stage 5 b in the following manner. That is to say, thedelivery position is determined so that the measurement position or theexposure start position (the position for starting the exposure in thefirst pattern forming area on the second wafer 14 b) matches a singledirection (in this case, the X axis direction) of the delivery positionfor the first stage 5 a. In this case, the measurement position or theexposure start position (referred to below collectively as the“processing position”) is the position denoted as immersion liquid 13 asillustrated in FIG. 4C. The controller 20 displaces the second stage 5 blinearly in a predetermined direction without modification from thedelivery position illustrated in FIG. 4C to the position that theimmersion liquid 13 is positioned at the pattern forming area to beexposure firstly as illustrated in FIG. 4D.

In the above manner, the exposure apparatus 100 enables a reduction inthe displacement time of each stage 5 a, 5 b by determining the deliveryposition of each stage 5 a, 5 b based on the first processing position,or the exposure completion position at the delivery of the immersionliquid 13, when compared to a conventional configuration. Furthermore,since the displacement of each stage 5 a, 5 b at this time is linear,utility is found in power efficiency or a characteristic displacementaccuracy of the driving apparatus. In this context, although thedisplacement of each stage 5 a, 5 b has been described with reference tothe X axis, the same comments may apply when making reference to the Yaxis.

FIG. 5 illustrates a timing chart (with the horizontal axis being time)for clarifying the effect of shortening the displacement time of eachstage 5 a, 5 b in the present embodiment in compared to a configurationusing a conventional exposure apparatus. FIG. 5A illustrates a timingchart in accordance with the exposure sequence for a conventionalexposure apparatus, and FIG. 5B illustrates a timing chart in accordancewith the exposure sequence for the exposure apparatus 100 of the presentembodiment. In both FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, the upper row is for the firststage 5 a and the lower row is for the second stage 5 b. Firstly, theoperation of the first stage 5 a is illustrated as the flow of“exposure”, “displace to delivery position of immersion liquid”,“deliver immersion liquid”, “displace+recover/supply wafer”, and“exposure preparation (measure)”. Corresponding to this sequence, theoperation of the second stage 5 b is illustrated as the flow of“exposure preparation (measure)”, “displace to delivery position ofimmersion liquid”, “deliver immersion liquid”, “displace to measurementposition”, “measure”, “displace to exposure position”, and “exposure”.When FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are compared, the time required for “displaceto delivery position of immersion liquid” for the stages 5 a, 5 b andthe time required for “displace to measurement position” for the secondstage 5 b are shortened due to the above delivery operation. Therefore,when the overall exposure sequence is considered, the processing timecan be understood to be reduced to less than the conventional exposureapparatus. The shortening of the processing time has the result ofenhancing the productivity of the exposure apparatus.

Next, the position measurement of each stage 5 a, 5 b that is premisedon implementation of the exposure apparatus 100 according to the presentembodiment will be described. As described above, the position of eachstage 5 a, 5 b in the XY plane is measured using a laser interferometer23, and for that purpose, a mirror 22 is provided on each side of eachstage 5 a, 5 b. Although the immersion exposure apparatus according tothe conventional technique disclosed in Japanese Patent ApplicationLaid-Open No. 2008-124219 includes installation of an equivalent mirror,the unique delivery position is set to thereby avoid the installationposition of the mirror. In this regard, the method of delivery describedin the present embodiment enables to is executed even when the mirror 22is installed, that is to say, depending on the delivery position,delivery of (causing displacement in relation to) the immersion liquid13 is possible even when straddling the side of the mirror 22. Thisfeature is due to the fact that that it has been determined that actualapparatus operation is enabled due to enhancement to the configurationof the current wafer stage 5 or the technical level related to control.However, in the same manner as the conventional configuration, it maynot be preferred for the immersion liquid 13 to move on the sides of themirror 22. In this context, delivery of the immersion liquid 13 isenabled in relation to the present embodiment by performing the positionmeasurement of each stage 5 a, 5 b in the following manner.

FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are schematic views of a position measurement sensor(position measuring device) 9 that is disposed on each stage 5 a, 5 b insubstitution for a laser interferometer 23, and a reference plate 10that functions as a measurement object for the position measurementsensor 9. FIG. 6A is a perspective view, and FIG. 6B is a sectional viewof the installation position of the position measurement sensor 9. Inaddition to the reference mark 16 to be measured when performingalignment measurement, each stage 5 a, 5 b includes installation of anaberrometer 18, an illumination sensor 17, and a water leakage sensor24. In the present embodiment, a plurality of position measurementsensors 9 is provided on the surface of each stage 5 a, 5 b by avoidingthe installation position of these sensors or the like. The positionmeasurement of each stage 5 a, 5 b in the XY plane is performed bydetecting a reference in the reference plate 10 by use of the positionmeasurement sensor 9. In this manner, since there is no requirement toinstall a mirror 22 on the side surfaces of each stage 5 a, 5 b as aresult of omission of use of a laser interferometer 23, the limitationin relation to the delivery position of the immersion liquid 13 as inthe conventional configuration may be overcome, and delivery accordingto the present embodiment is enabled. On the other hand, FIG. 7 is aschematic plan view illustrating a configuration in which a mirror 22 isonly disposed on the side, of the side surfaces of each stage 5 a, 5 b,on which delivery of the immersion liquid 13 is not performed. Thisconfiguration also enables delivery according to the present embodiment.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, an immersionexposure apparatus which is advantageous in terms of efficient deliveryof an immersion liquid on a surface between plural stages of a waferstage can be provided.

Second Embodiment

Next, an exposure apparatus according to a second embodiment of thepresent invention will be described. In the first embodiment describedabove, when delivering the immersion liquid 13, each stage 5 a, 5 b isdisplaced in parallel in one direction only (in the above example, the Xaxis direction). In this regard, the exposure apparatus according to thepresent embodiment has a feature that when delivering the immersionliquid 13, each stage 5 a, 5 b not only moves in the direction ofdelivery of the immersion liquid 13, but also moves in another direction(the Y axis direction). FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the basicsequence of the delivery operation according to the present embodiment.FIG. 9A to FIG. 9D and FIG. 10A to FIG. 10C are schematic plan viewsthat illustrate a time sequence of the delivery operation according tothe present embodiment. In the same manner as FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D of thefirst embodiment, a configuration is illustrated in which, aftercompletion of exposure of the first wafer 14 a on the first stage 5 a,the first pattern forming area that is provided on the second wafer 14 bon the second stage 5 b is positioned in the exposure position.

Firstly, the controller 20 completes exposure of the first wafer 14 a onthe first stage 5 a, and then displaces the first stage 5 a to thedelivery position of the immersion liquid 13 (step S201). FIG. 9Aillustrates the configuration of each of the stages 5 a, 5 b whenexposure is completed on the first stage 5 a. On the other hand, FIG. 9Billustrates a configuration in which the first stage 5 a moves on thehorizontal line from the configuration illustrated in FIG. 9A to thedelivery position. The displacement of the first stage 5 a at this timemeans that the stages 5 a, 5 b avoid a collision, since the second stage5 b moves towards + side in the Y axis direction (the side on which thefirst stage 5 a is disposed) in the next step. Next, the controller 20displaces the first stage 5 a towards −side in the Y axis direction anddisplaces the second stage 5 b towards the + side in the Y axisdirection (step S202). FIG. 9C illustrates the configuration in whicheach stage 5 a, 5 b starts displacement. At this time, the controller 20displaces the second stage 5 b in particular to a position in the X axisdirection that matches the first processing position. FIG. 9Dillustrates a configuration in which the second stage 5 b has beendisplaced to the position in the X axis direction (substantially thedelivery position in the X axis direction). Next while the controller 20displaces the first stage 5 a in an inclined direction (the − side in Yaxis direction and − side in the X axis direction), the controller 20displaces the second stage 5 b in parallel in a completely horizontaldirection (the − side in the X axis direction) and thereby the immersionliquid 13 is displaced to the delivery position of the second stage 5 b(step S203). FIG. 10A illustrates the configuration of each stage 5 a, 5b immediately before commencement of step S203. FIG. 10B illustrates theconfiguration after delivery of the immersion liquid 13 to the secondstage 5 b side. Then the controller 20 retracts the first stage 5 awithout modification in the − side in Y axis direction (displaces to thenext specified position), and then displaces the second stage 5 b to bepositioned in the first processing position (step S205). FIG. 10Cillustrates the displacement of the first stage 5 a without modificationin toward the − side in the Y axis direction, and the displacement ofthe second stage 5 b to the measurement position.

According to the present embodiment, the delivery operation inparticular of the second stage 5 b is configured to determine thedelivery position for the second stage 5 b based on the first processingposition (measurement position or exposure start position). In thismanner, the displacement time for the second stage 5 b can be reduced toless than a conventional configuration. In addition, in the presentembodiment, the first stage 5 a that is on the delivery side for theimmersion liquid 13 continues to be displaced in the Y axis directionduring the series of delivery operations. In this manner, the firststage 5 a can reduce the time taken to arrive at the next specifiedposition (in this case, for example, a wafer conveying unit 8 (referenceis made to FIG. 1)).

FIG. 11 is a timing chart according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11corresponds to FIG. 5 that has been used in the description according tothe first embodiment. In this context, as compared with FIG. 5A thatillustrates the conventional configuration, it can be understood thatthe delivery operation described above can reduce the time required forthe “displacement+wafer recovery/supply”, in particular, for the firststage 5 a as shown in FIG. 11. Furthermore, the time required for the“displace to delivery position for immersion liquid” can be reduced as aresult of the displacement of the first stage 5 a in the − side in the Yaxis direction and the displacement of the second stage 5 b in the +side in Y axis direction during the delivery of the immersion liquid 13illustrated in FIG. 10A to FIG. 10B. Therefore, the overall exposuresequence according to this embodiment also results in a reduction in theprocessing time as compared with a conventional exposure apparatus.

(Device Manufacturing Method)

Next, a description will be given of a method for manufacturing a device(semiconductor device, liquid crystal display device, or the like)according to one embodiment of the present invention. The semiconductordevice is manufactured by a front-end process in which an integratedcircuit is formed on a wafer and a back-end process in which anintegrated circuit chip is completed as a product from the integratedcircuit on the wafer formed in the front-end process. The front-endprocess includes a step of exposing a wafer coated with aphotosensitizer using the above-described exposure apparatus and a stepof developing the exposed wafer. The back-end process includes anassembly step (dicing and bonding) and a packaging step (sealing). Theliquid crystal display device is manufactured by a process in which atransparent electrode is formed. The process of forming a transparentelectrode includes a step of applying a photosensitizer to a glasssubstrate on which a transparent conductive film is deposited, a step ofexposing the glass substrate coated with the photosensitizer using theabove-described exposure apparatus, and a step of developing the exposedglass substrate. According to the device manufacturing method of thepresent embodiment, a device having a higher quality than that of theconventional device may be manufactured.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2013-185914 filed Sep. 9, 2013, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

1-7. (canceled)
 8. An exposure apparatus including a measurement areafor measuring a substrate, and an exposure area, which differs from themeasurement area, for exposing the substrate via a projection opticalsystem, and executing an exposure operation while supplying an immersionliquid between the projection optical system and the substrate disposedin the exposure area, the exposure apparatus comprising: plural stageseach configured to hold the substrate and to be movable, and acontroller configured to control the driving of the plural stages and tochange a receiving position on one stage of the plural stages forreceiving the immersion liquid supplied from another stage of the pluralstages such that the one stage receives the immersion liquid at a firstreceiving position in a case where a first processing on the one stageor the substrate held by the one stage is to be performed at a firstprocessing position, and the one stage receives the immersion liquid ata second receiving position different from the first receiving positionin a case where a second processing on the one stage or the substrateheld by the one stage is to be performed at a second processing positiondifferent from the first processing position.
 9. The exposure apparatusaccording to claim 8, wherein each of the first processing and thesecond processing is one of measuring performed on a measuring positionon the one stage and exposure operation performed on a exposure positionon the substrate held by the one stage.
 10. The exposure apparatusaccording to claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured tochange a delivery position on the another stage for supplying theimmersion liquid to the one stage according to an exposure completionposition on the another stage such that the immersion liquid is suppliedfrom a first delivery position in a case where an exposure process onthe another stage ends at a first exposure completion position, and theimmersion liquid is supplied from a second delivery position differentfrom the first delivery position in a case where the exposure process onthe another stage ends at a second exposure completion positiondifferent from the first exposure completion position.
 11. The exposureapparatus according to claim 8, wherein the plural stages comprise aposition measurement device configured to measure a stage position byilluminating light to a reference plate installed at a position on therespective surfaces of the plural stages facing the position measurementdevice.
 12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, furthercomprising: an interferometer configured to measure positions of theplural stages; and mirrors respectively disposed on sides of the pluralstages and configured to reflect light illuminated from theinterferometer, wherein the mirrors are not installed on a deliveringside of the immersion liquid on the one stage and a receiving side ofthe immersion liquid on the another stage.
 13. A device manufacturingmethod comprising: exposing a substrate using an exposure apparatus; anddeveloping the exposed substrate, wherein: the exposure apparatusincludes a measurement area for measuring the substrate, and an exposurearea, which differs from the measurement area, for exposing thesubstrate via a projection optical system, and executing an exposureoperation while supplying an immersion liquid between the projectionoptical system and the substrate disposed in the exposure area, theexposure apparatus comprising: plural stages each configured to hold thesubstrate and to be movable, and a controller configured to control thedriving of the plural stages and to change a receiving position on onestage of the plural stages for receiving the immersion liquid suppliedfrom another stage of the plural stages such that the one stage receivesthe immersion liquid at a first receiving position in a case where afirst processing on the one stage or the substrate held by the one stageis to be performed at a first processing position, and the one stagereceives the immersion liquid at a second receiving position differentfrom the first receiving position in a case where a second processing onthe one stage or the substrate held by the one stage is to be performedat a second processing position different from the first processingposition.
 14. An exposure apparatus including a measurement area formeasuring a substrate, and an exposure area, which differs from themeasurement area, for exposing the substrate via a projection opticalsystem, and executing an exposure operation while supplying an immersionliquid between the projection optical system and the substrate disposedin the exposure area, the exposure apparatus comprising: plural stagesconfigured to hold the substrate and to be movable, and a controllerconfigured to control the driving of the plural stages and to change adelivery position on one stage for supplying the immersion liquid toanother stage according to an exposure completion position on the onestage such that the immersion liquid is supplied from a first deliveryposition in a case where an exposure process on the one stage ends at afirst exposure completion position, and the immersion liquid is suppliedfrom a second delivery position different from the first deliveryposition in a case where the exposure process on the one stage ends at asecond exposure completion position different from the first exposurecompletion position.
 15. The exposure apparatus according to claim 14,wherein the controller is configured to control displacement of the onestage to supply the immersion liquid to the another stage by displacingthe one stage in a direction by a conveying unit configured to conveythe substrate held by the one stage.
 16. The exposure apparatusaccording to claim 14, further comprising: an interferometer configuredto measure positions of the plural stages; and mirrors respectivelydisposed on sides of the plural stages and configured to reflect lightilluminated from the interferometer, wherein the mirrors are notinstalled on a delivering side of the immersion liquid on the one stageand a receiving side of the immersion liquid on the another stage.
 17. Adevice manufacturing method comprising: exposing a substrate using anexposure apparatus; and developing the exposed substrate, wherein: theexposure apparatus includes a measurement area for measuring thesubstrate, and an exposure area, which differs from the measurementarea, for exposing the substrate via a projection optical system, andexecuting an exposure operation while supplying an immersion liquidbetween the projection optical system and the substrate disposed in theexposure area, the exposure apparatus comprising: plural stagesconfigured to hold the substrate and to be movable, and a controllerconfigured to control the driving of the plural stages and to change adelivery position on one stage for supplying the immersion liquid toanother stage according to an exposure completion position on the onestage such that the immersion liquid is supplied from a first deliveryposition in a case where an exposure process on the one stage ends at afirst exposure completion position, and the immersion liquid is suppliedfrom a second delivery position different from the first deliveryposition in a case where the exposure process on the one stage ends at asecond exposure completion position different from the first exposurecompletion position.